In Pakistan, Women Are Not Yet the Better Half

By Sagar Atre

Copy edited and produced by Laura Straub

Maryam Irshad of rural Pakistan

Maryam Irshad is like many other young girls in Pakistan; she dreams of a life where she can learn, earn and enjoy the fruits of education. But this dream is hardly likely to come true; Maryam’s parents decided to sacrifice her education so that they could educate her brothers. Instead, Maryam has been sent to a city to work as a housemaid. “Between me and my brothers, it was an obvious choice. If I did not have brothers, I probably would have gone to school.” In a country where women are legally equivalent to ‘half’ a male, the choice Maryam’s parents made is hardly surprising. Pakistan’s laws against women draw their attitude towards women from their source, the Sharia, or Islamic Law. The laws for women in Pakistan included a law called the Hudood ordinance, passed by its erstwhile military dictator, General Zial-ul-Haq. This law required women to provide four male witnesses to prove her innocence in case of a rape. Although this law was repealed in 2006, other unfair laws remain. Pakistan’s laws still hold a woman’s testimony equivalent to half a man’s testimony. Divorce laws in Pakistan state that women cannot seek a divorce without giving acceptable reasons, while men simply can say ‘I divorce thee’ three times and their divorce is held valid.

Mehmal Sarfraz, Op-Ed editor at a daily newspaper, The Daily Times, Pakistan states, “The basic problem is deep-seated patriarchy. Practices like Karo Kari (honor killings), Vani (child marriages) are still rampant. Although the cities are better now, rural areas still remain far behind.” Equal status to women in society still remains a distant dream for most of Pakistani society.

Zebunnisa Burki, social activist and founder of an organization promoting women’s participation in media, South Asian Women in Media, feels the problem goes deeper, “Socially and economically lower classes not having access to education is not an exception in Pakistan, it’s the norm, and for women, it has become a reality they have accepted long ago. Urban environments and money can provide some advantages, but even in cities, poor women do not get access to good education. In rural areas, the situation is unimaginable.” Burki’s claims are echoed by statistics; surveys by the United Nations reveal that 40% of the women in Pakistan still do not get access to education, compared to 28% amongst boys. The dropout rate among women also remains high; only 28% of women were enrolled in secondary schools by 2009.

Education Improvements

Some girls like Azmat Perveen, 20, from a village called Renala Khurd, however, may be harbingers of coming change. Azmat was allowed some education, and she is glad for it, she states, “I was allowed to learn until the eighth grade, but then my father denied permission to go to a school farther away from home. But I am content that I at least got to learn up to some level. Most of my friends have not had that privilege.” Azmat is right in calling education a privilege, in rural Pakistan, educated girls were rare until recent times. In Pakistan’s cities however, enrollment rates of women in educational institutions are improving. Ayesha Iftikhar, a photographer from Islamabad, says, “It will take time for the effects of liberalization to percolate to the poorer and more conservative sections of society, but I see change happening around me. I am a photographer, which itself was traditionally frowned upon. Many urban women have come out of patriarchy, and I see positive change happening. I think the generations after mine will see change come into their lives.”

Co-ed Concerns

Many professions requiring frequent public contact and interaction with males were earlier cordoned off for women. In recent times however, some of Pakistan’s plum Union ministry posts have gone to women; Pakistan’s deceased Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and current External Affairs Minister Hina Rabbani Khar are examples. Even in Parliament, representation of women is increasing. According to the Ministry of Manpower and Labor, the rate of increase in the number of female employees in the workforce is currently 6.5% per annum, much better than earlier decades, where it was barely rising for many years.

New Attitudes

A positive side is the changing attitude of men in the new generation, one such example is filmmaker and graphic designer Abdur Rahman Mian, who states, “There were blatantly unjust laws earlier. I still do not believe how something like the Hudood ordinance was enacted. I hope the change, now slowly coming, extends to all our socio-economic classes. Women are equally capable, and my wife is testimony to that, she is an author, legislator and a prolific public speaker. Women should never have been considered weak or secondary, and I am glad the government today has at least tried to right the damage it has done earlier.”

Government efforts towards educating women are becoming more holistic. Rafique Tahir, Joint Secretary, Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) at the Federal Directorate of Education of Pakistan, says, “This is a problem with many facets; economic, social, religious, even psychological. We are attacking these problems through a multi-pronged strategy. Through programs like scholarships for girls to attend schools to awareness programs for parents and village leaders, we are trying our level best to bring women into the mainstream. We also aim to introduce more modern and scientific modes of imparting education very soon. We are fighting a tough problem with deep historical and social roots, tackling it will take time, efforts and patience.”

From being a country where women were subjugated legally and socially, Pakistan has progressed to being a society which shows a contradiction of sorts in terms of women’s rights. Urban and wealthier Pakistani women are making rapid progress in terms of their careers and are even working to improve the situation, while most women from rural areas still remain shrouded in illiteracy. The chasm between  rural girls like Maryam Irshad, who is bound to illiteracy and a life of imminent poverty, and her urban, educated counterparts like Ayesha Iftikhar is probably one of the saddest ironies for a country whose name and promise signified Purity and freedom.

(With inputs from Tanveer Jahan)

Korean Clinic Conquers Internet Addiction

By Phil Barnes

Copy edited and produced by Laura Straub

Dr. Han Doug-hyun doesn’t treat his patients for broken bones, fevers, or flus. He doesn’t see them for alcohol or substance abuse, either. No, Dr. Han’s specialty is a unique, yet equally detrimental breed of addiction -- an addiction to the internet.

Each week, over 70 online game addicts walk through the doors of the On-line Game Clinic at Seoul’s Chung-ang University in search of Dr. Han’s office. Once inside, patients embark on a journey of self-discovery, climbing out of depression and unplugging themselves from a virtual reality.

An Online Escape 

“Online gaming offers a chance to escape from the real world,” says Han. “Korean social structure is very tight. They have no time except for study and work. That’s why online society is so attractive and addicting to them.”

For many Koreans, “the real world” starts as early as elementary school. Students in Karisa Austin’s fifth grade class go to school from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Austin teaches in Seoul at Korea Poly Institute, which emphasizes intensive English in addition to math, science, and phonics.

South Koreans use the internet and gaming as an escape.

Interestingly, Austin’s internet addiction awareness comes from her students’ stories rather than the South Korean media. Hard facts and statistics surrounding the country’s online gaming epidemic are scarce, yet Austin hears about it all the time.

“They have places here called PC rooms where people can go to use computers. I've heard stories about people dying in them because they didn't leave for food or drink,” says Austin. “My students have talked about people they knew who died in one. Also, I've talked to many male adults who say that when they have free time they get together with their friends and play games in the PC rooms.”

However, Austin doesn’t believe that she personally knows any internet addicts. For her students, demanding workloads make it difficult to find time for computer games. And even for the exceptions (one of her students plays 10 hours a day on weekends), she doesn’t know if they’re actually addicted.    

Although Dr. Han is the director of an online game clinic, he doesn’t have the answer.

“The range of people classified as having a gaming addiction is very wide, from 3.5 percent to 30 percent of the South Korean population. But, how can that be? It’s because the criteria of internet addiction are not defined yet, so it’s impossible to understand at this point,” says Dr. Han.

But there are steps in determining whether or not one of Han’s potential patients is in need of help. He bases his criteria on three points: tolerance, craving, and gaming patterns in daily life.

“Parents sometimes try to take their kids in here because they are concerned that they are playing video games too much,” says Han. “But game addiction is very different than a hobby. I’m a gamer myself – I love to play Starcraft a lot—but that doesn’t make me an addict.”

Medical Effects 

If the patient does show signs of game “addiction” (such as losing sleep, social aptitude, and/or appetite) Han runs an MRI scan to note any brain irregularities. 

Machine used to conduct MRI tests

Patients are then prescribed stimulants or antidepressants before enrolling in individual psychotherapy or group therapy sessions. Dr. Han sees each one of his 200 patients every other week.

“We check up on our patients constantly,” says Han. “See, here, we treat online addiction just like alcohol or drug abuse.”

And, as with any alcoholic or drug user, society’s stigmas for game addicts are just as harmful.

“One time, CNN New York asked me if they could interview just one of my patients. All of them denied. It’s because of the stigma and the stereotypes. No one wants to be known as an online addict, because it’s a sign of failure,” says Dr. Han. “I really love my country, but the society has a lot of pressures.”

Han believes these pressures are fueling a recent spike in youth suicide cases. And, according to Austin, the burden begins in the classroom.

Deadly Pressures 

“I know students have killed themselves when they did not get the test score that they hoped to get. They didn’t want to face disappointment from their parents,” she says. “The parents push their students really hard when it comes to their studies. Some parents use physical abuse to get their kids to do well in school.”

“However, people also kill themselves for being fired from a job or from too much ridicule from others. Koreans are very honest people and they tell each other exactly what they think. They also care a lot about what people think of them. So if something happens that is going to make them look bad, their usual answer is to kill themselves. It is really sad, but true.”

The World Health Organization lists South Korea as number two on the scale of countries with the most annual suicides. Reporter for the Korea Herald, Ji-sook Bae, has done extensive research in order to root out the reason for the climbing suicide rate.   

“The government sees that the growing number of people diagnosed with depression to be the main reason,” Bae says. “People link stress with depression. If tough school/work schedules could cause depression, suicide and the hectic schedules may well be associated.”

Bae notes that the average Korean worker spends 2,243 hours in labor per year while the average worker in the U.S. spends around 1,400 hours.  

Online gaming serves as an avenue for stress relief, and increased stress due to a demanding lifestyle may be the reason behind the growing number of admittances into Han’s clinic.

Dr. Han believes that South Korea’s internet rapidity is the remaining factor behind a growing online gaming addiction. When compared to the United States, South Korea’s internet speed is technically five years ahead. However, Han isn’t sure if more people in the U.S. will become addicted to the internet as technology advances and speeds increase.

“A lot has to do with speed” he says. “But more of it has to do with society.”  

Waste Pickers Help Clean Up Buenos Aires

By Graylyn Roose   

Edited by Adam Flango

The economic crisis that began in 2008 caused the unemployment rate of many countries around the world to skyrocket. Jobs have disappeared, and the least fortunate of the world’s population has turned to the informal sector for employment. Many have been forced to take desperate measures to simply feed themselves and their families.

But in Argentina, the economic crisis came earlier. The problems that began in 2001 continue today, pushing the very poorest of the citizens to the streets.

Each night, thousands travel by train from small villages outside the city’s limits to scrounge through the garbage cans of Buenos Aires, searching for plastic, glass, and cardboard materials that can be sold for cash. They are called cartoneros, meaning “cardboard seller” or waste picker” in English. For most, rummaging for recyclables is the only source of income they can find.
Valeria Gracia is the founder and president of Voluntario Global, an organization that brings together local volunteer initiatives in Latin America. Gracia says that her organization is active within villages outside Buenos Aires where many of the residents work as cartoneros. She says that the collecting jobs have become more organized since 2001-the beginning of the economic crisis in Argentina.

“Cartoneros today are like an institution,” Gracia said. “We know what they are doing. The same cartoneros go to the same places every day.”

Problems with Picking

Gracia says that the bigger problem comes when children are involved in the waste picking. Working by night causes them to perform poorly in school, or drop out of school altogether. In some areas, childcare services are provided through the night, because their work as trash collectors is often the only thing that parents can do to support their families.

“Today there are less, but 30 percent of the parents that go around are with children.”
Buenos Aires residents say that the waste pickers are largely a welcome presence in the neighborhoods.

“I think it’s generally accepted that they’re not shady characters,” said Simon Kofoed, a resident of Buenos Aires. “They’re in a tough economic situation but they’re choosing the honest work.”

Kofoed says he has seen residents of the Buenos Aires neighborhoods try to help the waste pickers as much as they can. Often, Kofoed says, he says shopkeepers and storeowners divide and set out their cardboard and plastic materials during the day, and welcome cartoneros into their establishments to take the recyclables early.

Maria Lucia Martin is a resident of Cordoba, Argentina, where she says she also sees a large population of waste pickers, often looking for very specific materials.

“They ask everywhere they can for cardboard,” Martin said. “Nowadays cardboard workers know where to go to find more…in shops and factories.”

Although most of Argentina’s cartoneros continue to collect their wares while the rest of the city sleeps, one organization is helping to take the work of the cartoneros out of the darkness.
Cooperativa El Ceibo (which shares its name with the national flower of the country) is an organization that unites the “waste pickers” and emphasizes the importance of working to collect the materials during the day. A kind of union for the cartoneros of Buenos Aires, members of El Ceibo must abide by rules for behavior and assist members of the households with sorting the materials, making it easier to collect more recyclables quicker and gain a better profit for the group.
When citizens who work as cartoneros sign on to work with El Ceibo, they work alone or in groups of families. But they agree to collectively turn over the trash, recyclables and other goods that they collect for the entire group. At the end of a shift, that material is sold, and the money yielded is divided among all.

Edacalina Ojedi works for Cooperativa El Ceibo and says that the organization helps more than just the workers.

“It’s social work, it’s economic, it helps with the environment,” Ojedi said. “We make a better life for workers and for everybody because we are taking care of the environment.”

Ojedi says that working during the day with the homeowners who put out the trash not only ensures that the recycling is separated properly. It also creates a better rapport between cartonero and resident.

“It’s better, so you can see their face, you can come to them,” Ojedi said. “People don’t like [cartoneros] to come to their house at night, someone they don’t know.”
Ojedi says that this practice is generally unique to El Ceibo; many organizations that unify cartoneros offer collective selling services, but mostly only at night. She says she believes their organization is growing, in spite of the slowly decreasing numbers of cartoneros nationwide. Ojedi says this is because many cartoneros recongnize the economic benefits of collecting in groups.

The cartoneros work night and day- work without benefits, set wages or regulated hours. At one time, a law was introduced to help them obtain formal employment.

According to Lorena Bujo, the Coordinator of the Waste Campaign for Greenpeace Argentina, the Zero Waste Law was implemented in 2005 to better manage Argentina’s recycling and waste management. Confronted by landfills that were nearly at capacity, Buenos Aires adopted policies that would mandate more efficient recycling and composting--and give the cartoneros formal jobs in the “recovery facilities” or “green centers”.
“The idea was that this is a real job and working in good conditions, not in the street, with the garbage all mixed,” Bujo said. “In the recycling centers, they would only deal with plastic...they wouldn’t have to deal with mixed waste.”
However, the law came at a large price. Once implemented, the city would have to build the recycling facilities to employ the waste pickers. Buenos Aires Chief of Government Mauricio Macri revoked the Zero Waste Law not long afterwards.
Now, Bujo says, the amount of waste sent to landfills has skyrocketed, reaching two million tons last year.
“Today [the cartoneros] are the only ones who are recycling,” Bujo said. “The percentage of recycling in Buenos Aires is very low, around ten percent.
Kofoed says that mandated recycling could be a negative change for the cartoneros, taking away vital financial possibilities.
“They depend so much on it, it is their income,” Kofoed said. “By introducing official recycling, it would put a lot of people out of work.”

Baseball Without Borders

By Laura Straub

Edited by Adam Flango

Baseball truly is America’s pastime.  Americans love spending their balmy summer nights under the lights.  They participate wholeheartedly in the seventh inning stretch.  They love eating peanuts and cracker jacks while watching their favorite all-star sluggers duke it out for the win.  They give little thought, however, as to where these superstar players come from. 

Photo courtesy of Cuba Journal

Many of these players make the ultimate sacrifice to play in the major leagues.  They leave their family, friends, home and traditions for the in hopes of earning a six-figure professional baseball salary.  Many of these players are Cuban defectors.

It is not uncommon for Cuban athletes to travel to international sporting competitions with their teams and simply not return.  This is exactly what Gerardo Concepcion did in June of this year, when he defected during the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands.  Concepcion was named Rookie of the Year in the Cuban Serie Nacional in 2010-2011.  He played for the Cuban powerhouse team, the Industriales, nicknamed “the blues” for their blue uniforms.  The Industriales are one of the most successful teams in Cuba according to family physician and baseball enthusiast Miguel Rodríguez.  They have won more national titles than any other Cuban team.

Although Concepcion was a member of Cuba’s leading team, he still made the choice to defect.  He established his residence in Mexico and was signed by the Chicago Cubs on February 2nd. 

Choice to Defect

Rodríguez says that these players have a right to choose where they play.  “It is absolutely natural that Cuban players, like players from all over the world, desire to play in the majors and become millionaires,” says Rodríguez.  He explains that Cuba does provide a salary for players, but that salary is not enough to live comfortably on, especially for those with families. 

Even with the financial opportunities, the decision to defect is still a difficult one.  Those that do leave are considered traitors by the government and some citizens.  Even if they do still have fans in Cuba, it is hard to them to follow the players’ progress since Internet access is limited.  They must spend extended periods of time away from their friends and family.  “They won’t ever have the honored opportunity to represent their country, to wear the national team uniform of Cuba, or to enjoy the absolutely unique proud and happy moment when the Cuba team wins a gold medal at a match, “ says Rodríguez.

Leaving Home

When defectors leave Cuba they are leaving behind a rich tradition of baseball. “Baseball is the national passion,” says Henry Herida, specialist in international relations at an institute of cultural investigation.  Daniel de Malas, Cuban baseball blogger, agrees with Herida.  He says, “Baseball in Cuba is part of our idiosyncrasy, of our history, of our tradition.”  The obsession begins with young, children play baseball in the streets “to the hand”, meaning that they do not use a bat.  Instead of a normal baseball, children use a rubber ball and bat the ball with their hand.  As they grow older, baseball is played “to the hard” with full equipment in parks facilitated for the game.

Eventually, successful players can move on to join the national league.  This league began in 1962.  It has had various structures over the years but currently includes 17 teams, one for each province as well as from the municipality the Isle of Youth and a second team from Havana.  The series begins in November and goes through April or May.  During this period each team will play 96 games.  Each team’s rank during the season determines their position in the playoffs, and after a series of playoff games a national champion is crowned.  The Cuban national team also takes part in the World Baseball Classic, the biggest event in baseball since its exit from the Olympics.  The next world classic will take place in 2013.

During the early 1990s Cuba also competed in a peculiar series.  The Cuban national team faced the Baltimore Orioles in two games.  The first was held in Cuba, where Baltimore won 1-0, the second was in Baltimore where Cuba won 12-6.  Cuba’s reaction to the win as a country was a national party, says Rodríguez. 

This is a very important interaction between two nations that are still engaged in a cold war of sorts.  Rodríguez believes that baseball can help improve relations between the two nations.  “Both are peoples that love baseball and we could dedicate our time and efforts to enjoy it and not to fight for political reasons,” says Rodríguez “We are close neighbors in physical distance and could celebrate friendly bi-national competitions of national teams of different ages each year.”  Ariam Castro Fraga, a television editor in Cuba agrees.  He says games between Cuban and American youth could foster better relations.

Some professionals are more skeptical of the ability baseball could have on relieving tensions between the two nations.  “The Romans resolved internal crisis with food wine and sport, but their conquest of the world was with arms,” says De Malas. “Baseball is a common denominator between both countries but it is not sufficient to resolve a ideological conflict that has passed for ages, that nobody dares dissolve, for pride.”

Senegal elections heat up

By Brendon Butler

Copy edited and produced by Hilary Johnson

A controversial decision by Senegal’s highest court has inspired a burgeoning sense of cooperation among some opposing candidates in the country’s presidential elections set to occur on Feb. 26. 

After the Constitutional Council on Jan. 27 blocked the candidacy of Africa’s possibly most famous African pop music star, Youssou N’Dour, protests organized in Dakar have added momentum to the opposition movement.

Famous Senegalese pop musician Youssou
N'Dour was barred from running in Senegal's
presedential elections this year. 

Now, normally fragmented opposition party candidates have proposed an uncharacteristically unified strategy against President Abdoulaye Wade. Eight of the 13 men standing against Wade have encouraged their partisans to support whichever candidate makes it through the election’s first round against Wade.

 
Movements to challenge are apparent

N’Dour has formally challenged the Council’s decision, and continues to speak out at opposition rallies organized by populist movements M23 and Y’en A Marre (We’re Fed Up).

Experts say that President Wade will not give up power easily, and that it is unlikely N'Dour's challenge will prevail. George Ajjan, who has advised Republican campaigns in the United States, was in Dakar offering his services to Wade’s opposition candidates as the protests occurred at the end of January.

President Abdoulaye Wade pictured in December, 2011.

 
“Protests can only accomplish so much,” Ajjan said in an interview with the BBC Network Africa radio program. “It is unlikely that Mr. Wade will step down just because he sees some people out in the streets.”

Harrison Akoh, a Nigerian who lives and works as a journalist in Dakar, said he believes N’Dour’s candidacy shook the confidence of Wade’s regime. 

“How popular is he? He is very popular here,” Akoh said. “People are angry, and N’Dour expresses that anger for them.”

Akoh cited N’Dour’s wealth and his ownership of a television and radio network as powerful political tools he could have exploited in the presidential race had he not been disqualified. Now N’Dour is using his celebrity as a platform to help organize the opposition. 

Young men wearing T-shirts of the Y'en A Marre
political movement shout during a protest in Dakar
on January 31, 2012 (photo courtesy of
Associated Press)

Akoh said he attended a protest in downtown Dakar after the court announced its decision. At first, the gathering of about 10,000 was largely peaceful, he said. Performers including local rapper group Y'en A Marre (We're Fed Up) and N’Dour himself encouraged the crowd to march from the Place d’Obelisque to the presidential palace, but rows of police in riot gear stood in their way. 

“The plan was to march to the Presidential Palace,” said Akoh. “But they couldn’t because the riot police were there with their batons.” 

Some of the youths became agitated and began throwing stones, and the police responded with tear gas grenades and water cannons, Akoh said. Gruesome photos circulated on the Internet after the protest that showed the body of a 32-year-old master’s student at Dakar’s Cheikh Anta Diop University, Mamadou Diop. Diop died when a police water-cannon truck ran him over. A 60-year-old grandmother and a teenage boy were shot and killed by police later in the week during protests in Senegal’s northern city of Podor, the BBC reported.

"People are just starting to heat up,” said Lizzie Starr, who teaches at a private school in Dakar. “Over ten thousand people were at the protests (on Jan.31).... People are furious, and things are going from bad to worse…. (W)e have not had a full week of school in five weeks because we continuously have to cancel class for security reasons.”

Senegal's tradition vs. future

As for the state of Senegal's democratic tradition, it remains to be seen whether the February elections will result in a peaceful transfer of power. Senegal has been a relative democratic success story until now, with three peaceful transfers of power since gaining its independence from France in 1960. 

In 2011, that peaceful democratic tradition began to show strains. On June 23, people rioted in the streets when Wade proposed dropping the proportion of votes needed to win a presidential election in the first round from 50 percent to 25 percent. Wade also nominated his unpopular son Karim for a new position as Senegal’s first vice president, and he was widely criticized for trying to set up a political dynasty. 

After the riots, Wade dropped the plans, but the opposition movement M23 was born out of the experience. Now M23 constitutes a serious mobilizing force against Wade, said Akoh. 

Y'en A Marre is another popular group stoking momentum for the opposition movement. Comprised of musicians, artists and rappers, the group mobilizes large crowds. The 10,000 people who showed up to 

protests on Jan. 31 at the Place d’Obelisque in Dakar were in part alerted to the gathering in part by Y’en A Marre’s sound system, said Akoh. 

The group’s members have taken colorful names styled on American hip hop, such as “Fou Malade” (Crazy Sicko), and the group has also put out a YouTube video of their popular song, “Faux Pas Forcé!” 

(Don’t Force It). Though they have focused popular sentiment, the group has said it will not endorse any candidate, and competing opposition candidates speak at their rallies. 

For his part, Wade brushes off the protest movement. In a comment which headlined in several Dakar newspapers after the first week of protests, Wade sad, “A breeze is a light wind which rustles the leaves of a tree, but never becomes a hurricane.”

However, the popular unrest could translate into political action, since between 60 and 70 percent of Senegalese are active voters, and registration continues up to the eve of elections. The real question about the strength of the opposition parties will emerge during the second round of elections, said Akoh. 

“People believe there will definitely be a second round. Elections have always been decided like that. 

“In Wolof they call (Wade) “Jaambuur,” Akoh said. The word means literally “to betray,” but refers colloquially to a canny political operator, or somebody who believes he is more intelligent than his opponent. 

“He is a very good negotiator,” said Akoh.

“He is a very good negotiator,” said Akoh.

A Light in the Dark: Powering Tanzania through Renewable Energy

By Katie Donaldson

Copy edited and produced by Hilary Johnson

Many people take electricity for granted, thinking simple tasks like cooking on a stove or turning on a light are standard around the world. While this is possible for many living in prosperous nations, it is only a dream for countless others. In many developing countries, basic infrastructure is slow to progress, while the needs of citizens continue to grow.

Tanzania’s government works through government agencies, non-profits and local companies to remedy this problem and provide power to the most remote areas. By utilizing renewable energy, some Tanzanians are seeing the light for the first time in their lives.

Tanzania is at a stage where little of the country has access to power, and areas that do experience frequent outages. According to the Rural Energy Agency (REA), ninety percent of Tanzanians are without wired electricity. Only two percent of rural areas are able to receive power. There are more than 17,000 schools without electricity.

Carbon X CEO receiving the Lighting Rural Tanzania, organized by REA, award
for 2012. (Photo Courtesy of Carbon X Energy). 

Without power, these institutions cannot provide quality education, leaving students unable to utilize computers or the Internet. Even those parts of the country with access to power deal with daily hurdles to maintain a steady electrical flow. The major cities and business centers suffer from frequent power losses. Many businesses and homes resort to petrol and diesel generators to make up for the blackouts. These generators not only cost a lot to maintain, according to the Tanzania Renewable Energy Association (TAREA), they also emit harmful gases into the atmosphere and contaminate ground water. These generators are blamed for poor living conditions and are simply not reliable. These problems are well known within the country and several organizations have stepped up to find a solution.

Improving rural Tanzania

The REA started in 2005 as a government body overseen by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals. Their main goal is to promote and facilitate improved access to energy in rural Tanzania. REA representative Luntengano Mwakadsya said they accomplish this goal by providing grants, training, and supporting projects that take modern services to the most remote areas. They support any source of renewable energy – specifically highlighting those utilizing wind, hydro or solar power. Mwakadsya said they most commonly deal with solar power: “People live very far from the grid. They are scattered and sometimes solar is their only option.” While the REA promotes any type of renewable energy, they want the citizens of Tanzania to move to more efficient power sources like solar panels. Mwakadsya said, “We want to provide people with technology since there is a high demand. We want to open the door for renewable energy in this country.” This push for renewable energy has slowly grown bigger than a government initiative and evolved into a cause for many citizens.

Professor J.H.Y. Katima is the Principal of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University of Dar es Salaam. He is a strong advocate for renewable energy, having seen the effect of solar power back-up generators at his home and office. Katima said the generators are a huge money saver and can power his office’s ten computers for eight hours nonstop. When asked about the importance of solar energy, Katima said, “This is a very important cause. These panels help since the electric system is not yet stable in the country.” Katima also said the push for renewable energy needs to be followed by an extensive education campaign, promoting the benefits of the technology and making people aware of the possibilities. While many in the cities recognize that solar energy can save money, Katima wants the rural population to understand the benefits as well. This sentiment is widely felt and sparked the creation of companies selling and installing renewable energy systems.

New possibilities with solar technology

Rex Investment Limited is a solar energy contractor that works with private and public institutions. Rex Investment representative, Joshua Chikowbro, said the distribution rate of electricity just doesn’t exist, which led to the creation of companies like Rex Investment. They mainly deal in solar technology, installing small systems for the home or generators suitable for large businesses. Chikowbro said the generators run from $1,000 to $15,000 USD – meaning it can be a large investment, but one that will pay off. Unlike diesel and petrol generators, the one time commitment cost is the only payment needed for solar power. Chikowbro said their work, combined with non-profits, is making a real difference in the area.

One of the foremost organizations in this fight for electrical power is the Tanzania Renewable Energy Association. They manage several projects and provide education on the technology to rural areas and big city businesses. One of their most effective and internationally recognized programs is the Generator Zero project. TAREA analyzed the energy usage of Dar es Salaam’s business district and chose three shops to provide solar back up generators. This project has reported great results and caught the attention of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sonnenenergie e.V. (DGS), a non-profit solar organization based in Germany. The DGS offered their accolades by awarding TAREA a 2011 Energy for Life Best Practice Award.

DGS representative Antje Klauss-Vorreiter said they were impressed with TAREA’s project since it was so easy to replicate and had such high relevance in today’s struggle for accessible renewable energy. Klauss-Vorreiter said, “I really liked how they started their project by talking to people, by going after the demand of the citizens.” She said the only way they could improve the project would be to install more of the generators, creating more clean energy and less environmental damage. TAREA will travel to Madrid in March to receive their award and be recognized among other developing nations that want renewable energy to become the standard.

Only fifteen percent of Tanzania’s land has access to electricity, meaning ideas like renewable energy are more important than ever. All of these organizations work endlessly to implement new technologies and spread the world to every citizen. It’s very easy to forget just how drastically one life can change by harnessing the power of nature.

Ivorians Fleeing Home

By Adam Flango

Cope edited and produced by Hilary Johnson

In late November of 2010, thousands of Ivorians heard gunshots and began to run. Violence broke out in the capital city of Abidjan after the results of the 2010 presidential election in Cote D’Ivoire. Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo was voted out of office and was to be replaced by Alassane Ouattara. But Gbagbo refused to step down from his position, creating political turmoil in the West African nation.

For nearly six months, the country remained divided. Violence between Gbagbo supporters and Ouattara supporters led to the deaths of more than 3,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch. But even more than that, it led to hundreds of thousands of citizens fleeing Cote D’Ivoire in search of a more peaceful area. It was their first instinct after having suffered through a similar situation in 2002. Many left their villages, their crops, and their families behind.

International Committee of Red Cross workers become very
attached refugees while helping at the Bahn refugee camp in
south-eastern Liberia (Photo courtesy of International
Committee of Red Cross)

Now, 15 months after the struggle began and 8 months after Gbagbo, who is now being tried for crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court, was detained and Ouattara assumed his position as president, conditions in Cote D’Ivoire have improved. But the country still struggles to piece itself together.

Thousands of native Ivorians remain displaced within their country or refugees in other countries. The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, estimates that the number of Ivorians displaced peaked at over one million people.

Most refugees fled to neighboring Liberia, a small country that does not have the resources necessary to accommodate such a massive influx of people.

“It was pretty tough because Liberia is a country that is recovering from 14 years of on and off conflict,” said Sulaiman Momodu, spokesperson for UNHCR in Liberia. “So for them to have huge numbers, thousands of people, crossing into the country was quite a challenge.”

For Ivorians, it was a challenge as well. Many fled to a country with less violence, but with so little time to prepare and set up refugee camps, the resources for Ivorians were scarce. It was now a different kind of struggle for the refugees.

“So before you know it, all the villages on the border were full,” said Momodu. “What that means is that there was strain on the water resource, the food in the communities finished, shelters and accommodation was quite a problem.”

After most of the violence ended with the arrest of Gbagbo, the refugees faced difficult decisions. In just a few months, their country was torn apart and now it struggled to repair the emotional and physical damage done to its people.

“Often times we think when a political crisis is more or less over and the elections are over, the new president is in place and the problems are solved,” said Layal Horanieh, spokesperson for the International Committee for the Red Cross delegation in Cote D’Ivoire. “But it’s not exactly like that. It takes a long time for things to fall back in place.”

The ICRC is one of multiple non-governmental organizations stationed in Cote D’Ivoire and the surrounding areas that are attempting to help rebuild the country.

Horanieh was not living in the country when the violence erupted, but she has seen the ramifications that it has had on the country.

“You’re talking about entire health clinics that were destroyed that I saw with my own eyes that still remain destroyed to this day in certain areas,” Horanieh said. “A lot of people that fled three months or more came back to overgrown plantations.”

In September 2011, the U.N. began voluntarily repatriation of refugees back into Cote D’Ivoire, some of which were afraid to return because of their support for Gbagbo. But with so much still broken in the country, it is still difficult for some Ivorians to believe that they would be better served returning home.

“Often times you’ll find [Ivorian] adults on the Liberian side saying, what am I going to go back to?” said Horanieh. “I’ve seen that for myself. There are still entire villages that are simply run down.”

But despite the difficult conditions faced by the refugees, there are signs of progress. Groups like the ICRC have worked together to reunite children separated by the conflict with their families.

Children were regularly abandoned because of how quickly the violence broke out. But the ICRC has registered more than 600 children, according to their website, and are working to reunite them with their families.

ICRC has specific procedures in place to ensure that families are reunited accurately and have helped hundreds of children reunite with their families.

For people working with humanitarian organizations, the reunification is their greatest reward.

On January 17, ten days before being interviewed, Horanieh saw eight children reunited with their families. “I still have goose bumps just thinking about it, It’s the biggest reward a humanitarian aid worker can witness,” she said. “It’s just incredible. Truly incredible.”

Children as young as four, children that were left behind because of they are slower than the older children, are being introduced to the families that left them behind.

The scenes, however, do not always play out like a Hollywood movie. There is so much emotional damage that children do not necessarily run to their parents and hug them with tears streaming down their face, Horanieh said.

“Yes they do hug their parents and they are happy, but you feel the trauma on their faces,” said Horanieh.

The ICRC’s reunification process is a sign of hope for a country that has faced numerous obstacles and still has thousands of their people scattered throughout different parts of Africa.

“We still have more than 128,000 Ivorians in the seven camps still living in Liberia,” said Momodu. “And most of them would like to stay a bit longer.”

The length they stay will depend on the progress made in Cote D’Ivoire.

For now, displaced Ivorians wait.